Method and apparatus for controlling traffic steering and communications system

ABSTRACT

This application provides a method and apparatus for controlling traffic steering and a communications system. In an implementation of the method for controlling traffic steering, the method is applicable to an RAN node and comprises: traffic steering indication information is determined; and the traffic steering indication information is transmitted to UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic to a traffic steering target according to the traffic steering indication information. With the method, load balance between 3GPP RAN and WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existing mechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication PCT/CN2015/073194 filed on Feb. 16, 2015, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and inparticular to a method and apparatus for controlling traffic steeringand a communications system during interoperation between a 3GPP (3rdgeneration partnership project) RAN (radio access network) and a WLAN(wireless local area network).

BACKGROUND

In the current 3GPP RAN technology, a network for radio access includesUTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network, UMTS (Universal MobileTelecommunications System) and E-UTRAN (evolved UTRAN). WLAN is anotherwireless access network that is widely deployed by operators in manycountries in the world. It is applicable to a radio access system, anintelligent traffic wireless communications system, and a peer-to-peeror peer-to-multipeer communications system, etc. These networks may beused by anyone using any equipment satisfying relevant requirementswithout authorization. As increasing abundance of wireless traffic,wireless data traffic sharply increases, and the load of the existing3GPP RAN is more and more heavy. Interoperation between the 3GPP RAN andWLAN is a method for overcoming the load increase.

The interoperation between the 3GPP RAN and WLAN is to achieve steeringof UE (user equipment, which is also referred to as a user terminal, auser, or a terminal) or offloadable traffic in the UE between differentradio access networks under assistance or control by RAN nodes. Inparticular, the RAN nodes provide auxiliary information or indication tothe UE, and the UE selects an accessible wireless network or steerssteerable traffic to a corresponding radio access network according tothe information or indication. However, it must be noted that as WLAN isbased on a contention mechanism and is flexible in deployment, it ispossible that a problem of interference or relatively long contentiontime occurs, and quality of the radio traffic cannot be guaranteed.

It should be noted that the above description of the background ismerely provided for clear and complete explanation of this disclosureand for easy understanding by those skilled in the art. And it shouldnot be understood that the above technical solution is known to thoseskilled in the art as it is described in the background of thisdisclosure.

SUMMARY

During interoperation between the 3GPP RAN and WLAN, in determining aradio access network which traffic is steered to, if an existingdetermination method is followed and there is no control of trafficsteering at RAN level, traffic of an inappropriate number shall besteered, which possibly occurs in a large amount terminals at the sametime. Thus, transmission of traffic can only be finished after a longperiod of time, even transmission fails at last or the traffic issteered to and fro between different radio access networks. Hence, howto guarantee negotiation on traffic steering between a terminal and abase station becomes a problem needing to be solved.

In order to solve the above problem, embodiments of this disclosureprovide a method and apparatus for controlling traffic steering and acommunications system.

According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a method for controlling traffic steering, applicable to anRAN node, the method including:

traffic steering indication information is determined; and

the traffic steering indication information is transmitted to UE, sothat the UE steers corresponding traffic to a traffic steering targetaccording to the traffic steering indication information.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a method for controlling traffic steering, applicableto UE, the method including:

traffic steering indication information transmitted by an RAN node isreceived; and

corresponding traffic is steered to a traffic steering target accordingto the traffic steering indication information.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a method for controlling traffic steering, applicable to UE,the method including:

traffic steering indication information is determined; and

the traffic steering indication information is transmitted to an RANnode, so that the RAN node decides a traffic steering ratio.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a method for controlling traffic steering, applicableto an RAN node, the method including:

traffic steering indication information transmitted by UE is received;

a traffic steering ratio is determined according to the traffic steeringindication information; and

the traffic steering ratio is transmitted to the UE, so that the UEsteers corresponding traffic to a traffic steering target according tothe traffic steering ratio.

According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided an apparatus for controlling traffic steering, applicable toan RAN node, the apparatus including:

a determining unit configured to determine traffic steering indicationinformation; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the traffic steeringindication information to UE, so that the UE steers correspondingtraffic to a traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringindication information.

According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided an apparatus for controlling traffic steering, applicable toUE, the apparatus including:

a receiving unit configured to receive traffic steering indicationinformation transmitted by an RAN node; and

a processing unit configured to steer corresponding traffic to a trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering indicationinformation.

According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided an apparatus for controlling traffic steering,applicable to UE, the apparatus including:

a determining unit configured to determine traffic steering indicationinformation; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the traffic steeringindication information to an RAN node, so that the RAN node decides atraffic steering ratio.

According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided an apparatus for controlling traffic steering,applicable to an RAN node, the apparatus including:

a receiving unit configured to receive traffic steering indicationinformation transmitted by UE;

a first determining unit configured to determine a traffic steeringratio according to the traffic steering indication information; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the traffic steering ratio tothe UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic to a trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering ratio.

According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided UE, including the apparatus for controlling traffic steeringas described in the sixth or seventh aspect.

According to a tenth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided an RAN node, including the apparatus for controlling trafficsteering as described in the fifth or eighth aspect.

According to an eleventh aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a communications system, including the UE as describedin the ninth aspect and the RAN node as described in the tenth aspect.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, thereis provided a computer readable program code, which, when executed in anapparatus for controlling traffic steering or UE, will cause a computerunit to carry out the method for controlling traffic steering asdescribed in the second or third aspect in the apparatus for controllingtraffic steering or the UE.

According to a further aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a computer readable medium, including a computerreadable program code, which will cause a computer unit to carry out themethod for controlling traffic steering as described in the second orthird aspect in an apparatus for controlling traffic steering or UE.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a computer readable program code, which, when executedin an apparatus for controlling traffic steering or an RAN node, willcause a computer unit to carry out the method for controlling trafficsteering as described in the first or fourth aspect in the apparatus forcontrolling traffic steering or the RAN node.

According to yet another aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure,there is provided a computer readable medium, including a computerreadable program code, which will cause a computer unit to carry out themethod for controlling traffic steering as described in the first orfourth aspect in an apparatus for controlling traffic steering or an RANnode.

An advantage of the embodiments of this disclosure exists in that withthe embodiments of this disclosure, load balance between 3GPP RAN andWLAN at RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

With reference to the following description and drawings, the particularembodiments of this disclosure are disclosed in detail, and theprinciple of this disclosure and the manners of use are indicated. Itshould be understood that the scope of the embodiments of thisdisclosure is not limited thereto. The embodiments of this disclosurecontain many alternations, modifications and equivalents within thespirits and scope of the terms of the appended claims.

Features that are described and/or illustrated with respect to oneembodiment may be used in the same way or in a similar way in one ormore other embodiments and/or in combination with or instead of thefeatures of the other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when usedin this specification is taken to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps or components but does not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,components or groups thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings are included to provide further understanding of thepresent disclosure, which constitute a part of the specification andillustrate the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and areused for setting forth the principles of the present disclosure togetherwith the description. It is obvious that the accompanying drawings inthe following description are some embodiments of this disclosure, andfor those of ordinary skills in the art, other accompanying drawings maybe obtained according to these accompanying drawings without making aninventive effort. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of processing at a UE side of an implementation ofachievement of access network selection and traffic steering;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of information exchange of another implementationof achievement of access network selection and traffic steering;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for controlling traffic steering ofEmbodiment 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling traffic steering ofEmbodiment 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for controlling traffic steering ofEmbodiment 3;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for controlling traffic steering ofEmbodiment 4;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering of Embodiment 5;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering of Embodiment 6;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering of Embodiment 7;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering of Embodiment 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of UE of Embodiment 9;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an RAN node ofEmbodiment 10; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a topology of a communications systemof Embodiment 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

These and further aspects and features of the present disclosure will beapparent with reference to the following description and attacheddrawings. In the description and drawings, particular embodiments of thedisclosure have been disclosed in detail as being indicative of some ofthe ways in which the principles of the disclosure may be employed, butit is understood that the disclosure is not limited correspondingly inscope. Rather, the disclosure includes all changes, modifications andequivalents coming within the spirit and terms of the appended claims.Various embodiments of this disclosure shall be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments areillustrative only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

During interoperation between the 3GPP RAN and WLAN, in order to achieveaccess network selection and traffic steering, three methods at the RANside are discussed currently. The first one is that if UE has an ANDSF(access network discovery and selection function), an access networkwhich traffic is steered to and traffic which is to be steered aredetermined using rules specified therein. The second one is that if theUE has no ANDSF, the UE, based on measurement thresholds provided by theRAN side and rules specified in a protocol, determines an access networkwhich all steerable traffic is steered to. And the third one is that theRAN side requires the UE to measure some measurement quantities of someaccess networks, and defines triggering conditions for report ofmeasurement results; based on a measurement result reported by the UE, acurrent status of the base station and information possibly collectedfrom a WLAN AP (access point), determines an access network whichtraffic is steered to and traffic to be steered by the UE, and transmitsa command to indicate the UE to complete the traffic steering.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of processing by the UE in the first and secondmethods, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of information exchange in the thirdmethod. It is assumed that AP1 and AP2 are both available WLANs. If UE1steers traffic from the base station to AP1 based on the above process,it will steer a part of or all steerable PDN (packet data network)connection to AP1. Supposing that a load of the base station at thismoment is 70% and a load of AP1 is 60%, there are a large amount of UEsin an overlapped coverage of the base station and AP1. In a case wherethere exists no ANDSF, UE1 decides to steer all the steerable PDNconnection to AP1, in the same circumstance, a large amount of UEs maymake the same decision, which will result in overload of AP1. In a caseof overload of AP1, almost all UEs connected to AP1 may possibly need towait for a longer time to obtain available resources for transmittingtraffic via contention, which results in degradation of userexperiences. What is worse is that the UEs will initiate trafficsteering to the base station, which results in that the traffic issteered to and fro between the base station and AP1.

In order to solve the above problem, this application is proposed, whichshall be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

During interoperation between the 3GPP RAN and WLAN, traffic may besteered from the 3GPP RAN to WLAN, or from WLAN to the 3GPP RAN. Inorder to ensure punctuality and accuracy of the traffic steering fromWLAN to the 3GPP RAN, it is assumed in this application that connectionbetween UE and the 3GPP RAN is always kept, no matter whether thereexists traffic that is transmitted in the 3GPP RAN. For the convenienceof description, the case where traffic is steered from the 3GPP RAN toWLAN is only described in this application, and a mechanism of which isalso applicable to the case where traffic is steered from WLAN to the3GPP RAN, and will not be described herein any further.

Embodiment 1

This embodiment provides a method for controlling traffic steering,applicable to a RAN node, such as a NodeB (a base station in 3G), aneNodeB (a base station in LTE), and an RAC (radio network controller),etc. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the method. Referring to FIG. 3, themethod includes:

step 301: traffic steering indication information is determined; and

step 302: the traffic steering indication information is transmitted toUE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic to a traffic steeringtarget according to the traffic steering indication information.

In this embodiment, the traffic steering indication information may be atraffic steering ratio, or a traffic steering ratio and a shift range,or a traffic steering target and a traffic steering ratio, or a trafficsteering target, a traffic steering ratio and a shift range, or atraffic steering target, traffic steering and offloadable APNs and/orbearer IDs. Traffic steering indication information determined accordingto different implementation scenarios is different.

In a scenario, a decision of traffic steering is made by a terminal withassistance of a network side.

In this scenario, as the network selection and traffic steering aredetermined by the UE, a suggested traffic steering ratio is indicated bythe network side (the RAN node) to the UE.

In this scenario, once the UE enters into a connected mode, the RAN nodemay determine the traffic steering ratio based on knowledge of itself,such as a load of the RAN node, a load of a neighboring node,information collected from the UE, and information collected from a WLANAP when the AP is co-located with the RAN node, etc. The trafficsteering ratio may be directed to steering from the 3GPP RAN to the WLANAP, or may be directed to steering from the WLAN AP to the 3GPP RAN.

In this scenario, the information collected from the UE may include, forexample, traffic being performed by the UE, and the UE capability, etc.The UE capability may include, for example, whether supporting UEdetermined network selection and traffic steering assisted by the RAN,and whether supporting an enhanced ANDSF, etc. In a case where the AP isco-located with the RAN node, the RAN node may collect informationrelated to the WLAN from the AP via an internal interface. Theinformation collected from the AP may include, for example, a load ofWLAN, etc.

In this scenario, if the UE does not support the ANDSF, and supportsonly the UE determined network selection and traffic steering assistedby the RAN, the RAN node may transmit the traffic steering ratio to theUE. The UE will steer corresponding traffic to a traffic steeringtarget, such as a WLAN or an RAN node, according to the ratio indicatedby the RAN node.

In this scenario, if the UE supports the ANDSF and the RAN node is ableto obtain ANDSF information related to the UE from an operator, the RANnode may further determine the traffic steering ratio with reference toan ISRP (inter-system routing policy, which is a policy used by a corenetwork for determining traffic steering) and transmit the trafficsteering ratio to the UE. And the UE will steer corresponding traffic toa traffic steering target according to the received ratio.

In this scenario, if the UE supports the ANDSF, but the RAN node isunable to obtain ANDSF information related to the UE from an operator,the RAN node may determine the traffic steering ratio and a permittedshift range at the same time, and transmit them to the UE. And the UEwill steer corresponding traffic to a traffic steering target accordingto the received traffic steering ratio and permitted shift range.

In this scenario, the traffic steering ratio may be a percentage, i.e.0˜100%, and is denoted by an integer, such as being denoted by at least7 bits. It may be taken as a new information element and included in adedicated RRC message, such as an RRC reconfiguration message, or may betogether with a threshold value or an OPI, or may be transmittedseparately.

In this scenario, the permitted shift range may also be a percentage,such as −5%˜5%, and may be taken as a new information element andincluded in a dedicated RRC message, such as an RRC reconfigurationmessage, or may be together with a threshold value or an OPI, or may betransmitted separately. The permitted shift range is introduced forreducing shift of traffic steering, and is only configured when the UEsupports the ANDSF, but the RAN node is unable to obtain relatedinformation.

In another scenario, the decision of traffic steering is made by thenetwork side and is performed by a terminal under control of the networkside.

In this scenario, as the network selection and traffic steering aredetermined by the network side, the network side (the RAN node), inaddition to indicating the suggested traffic steering ratio to the UE,indicates a traffic steering target to the UE, such as steering to whichWLAN or which RAN node.

In this scenario, similar to the above scenario, once the UE enters intoa connected mode, the RAN node may determine the traffic steering targetand the traffic steering ratio based on knowledge of itself, such as aload of the RAN node, a load of a neighboring node, informationcollected from the UE, a measurement report, and information collectedfrom an AP when the AP is co-located with the RAN node, etc.

In this scenario, the information collected from the UE may include, forexample, traffic being performed by the UE, and the UE capability, etc.The UE capability may include, for example, whether supporting UEdetermined network selection and traffic steering assisted by the RAN,and whether supporting an enhanced ANDSF, etc. In this scenario, in acase where the AP is co-located with the RAN node, the RAN node maycollect information related to the WLAN from the AP via an internalinterface. The information collected from the AP may include, forexample, a load of WLAN, etc. In this scenario, if the RAN nodeconfigures measurement for the UE, the RAN node may further collectinformation related to the WLAN from a measurement report transmitted bythe UE via measurement of the UE, so as to decide the traffic steeringtarget.

In this scenario, if the UE does not support the ANDSF, the RAN node mayacquire APNs (access point names) and/or bearer information from a corenetwork, so as to determine which APNs and/or which bearers may beoffloaded, and then transmit IDs of the offloadable APNs and/or bearer,together with the previously determined traffic steering target andtraffic steering ratio, to the UE. And the UE may perform trafficsteering according to these information.

In this scenario, similar to the above scenario, if the UE supports theANDSF and the RAN node is able to obtain ANDSF information related tothe UE from an operator, the RAN node may further determine the trafficsteering ratio with reference to an ISRP indicated by the ANDSF, andtransmit the traffic steering ratio, together with the traffic steeringtarget, to the UE. And the UE will steer corresponding traffic to thetraffic steering target according to the received ratio.

In this scenario, similar to the above scenario, if the UE supports theANDSF, but the RAN node is unable to obtain ANDSF information related tothe UE from an operator, the RAN node may determine the traffic steeringratio and a permitted shift range at the same time, and transmit thetraffic steering ratio, the shift range and the traffic steering targetto the UE. And the UE will steer corresponding traffic to the trafficsteering target according to the received traffic steering ratio andpermitted shift range.

In this scenario, the traffic steering ratio and permitted shift rangeare identical to those in the above scenario, and will not be describedherein any further.

With the method of this embodiment, the RAN node indicates a suggestedtraffic steering ratio to the UE, load balance between 3GPP RAN and WLANat RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

Embodiment 2

This embodiment provides a method for controlling traffic steering,applicable to UE. This method is processing at a UE side correspondingto the method of Embodiment 1, with contents identical to those inEmbodiment 1 being not going to be described herein any further. FIG. 4is a flowchart of the method. Referring to FIG. 4, the method includes:

step 401: traffic steering indication information transmitted by an RANnode is received; and

step 402: corresponding traffic is steered to a traffic steering targetaccording to the traffic steering indication information.

In this embodiment, corresponding to a former scenario in Embodiment 1,the traffic steering indication information may be a traffic steeringratio, or a traffic steering ratio and a permitted shift range. And inthis embodiment, the UE may determine a traffic steering target firstafter receiving the traffic steering indication information, and thensteer corresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according tothe traffic steering ratio or the traffic steering ratio and thepermitted shift range. In this embodiment, the determination of thetraffic steering target may be performed in an existing manner, whichwill not be described herein any further.

In this embodiment, corresponding to a latter scenario in Embodiment 1,the traffic steering indication information may be a traffic steeringtarget and a traffic steering ratio, or a traffic steering target, atraffic steering ratio and a permitted shift range, or may be a trafficsteering target, a traffic steering ratio and offloadable APNs and/orbearer IDs. And in this embodiment, the UE may steer correspondingtraffic to the traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringratio, or the traffic steering ratio and the permitted shift range, orthe traffic steering ratio and the offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.

With the method of this embodiment, the RAN node indicates a suggestedtraffic steering ratio to the UE, load balance between 3GPP RAN and WLANat RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

Embodiment 3

This embodiment provides a method for controlling traffic steering,applicable to UE. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the method. Referring to FIG.5, the method includes:

step 501: traffic steering indication information is determined; and

step 502: the traffic steering indication information is transmitted toan RAN node, so that the RAN node decides a traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, the traffic steering indication information may be atraffic steering target and a suggested traffic steering ratio, or onlya suggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steeringratio for measurement objects. And the traffic steering indicationinformation determined according to different implementation scenariosis different.

In a scenario, a decision of traffic steering is made by a terminal withassistance of a network side.

In this scenario, as the network selection and traffic steering aredetermined by the UE, a traffic steering target and a suggested trafficsteering ratio may be indicated by the UE to the network side (the RANnode).

In this scenario, if the UE has no ANDSF, i.e. the UE does not supportthe ANDSF, in an idle state, the UE may first perform a networkselection process according to RAN assistant information, rulesspecified in a protocol and UE implementation, and determine a networkto be accessed. Then, before entering into a connected state, i.e.during a random access procedure, the UE may indicate the RAN node of atraffic steering target and a suggested traffic steering ratiodetermined based on estimation by the UE itself. After receiving theindication, the RAN node may update the RAN assistant information andthe traffic steering ratio based on knowledge of itself, and feed backupdated traffic steering information to the UE. The updated trafficsteering information contains the traffic steering ratio, and,alternatively, updated RAN assistant information. And the UE may adjustthe traffic steering of itself according to the indication of the RANnode.

In this scenario, if the UE has an ANDSF, i.e. the UE supports theANDSF, in an idle state, the UE may first perform a network selectionprocess according to RAN assistant information, rules specified in aprotocol, the ANDSF, especially an ISRP therein, and the UEimplementation, and determine a network to be accessed. Then, beforeentering a connected state, i.e. during a random access procedure, theUE may indicate the RAN node of a traffic steering target and asuggested traffic steering ratio determined based on estimation by theUE itself. After receiving the indication, the RAN node may update theRAN assistant information and the traffic steering ratio based onknowledge of itself, and feed back the updated traffic steeringinformation to the UE, the updated traffic steering informationcontaining the traffic steering ratio, and, alternatively, updated RANassistant information. And the UE may adjust the traffic steering ofitself according to the indication of the RAN node.

In another scenario, the decision of traffic steering is made by thenetwork side and is performed by a terminal under control of the networkside.

In this scenario, if the UE does not support the ANDSF, the UE indicatesa suggested traffic steering ratio to the network side (the RAN node),and the RAN node may determine a traffic steering target and a finaltraffic steering ratio according to knowledge of itself and the receivedsuggested traffic steering ratio indicated by the UE, and provide themto the UE. In this scenario, similar to the latter scenario inEmbodiment 1, the RAN node may take offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs,together with the traffic steering target and the final traffic steeringratio, as the updated traffic steering information, to transmit to theUE.

In this scenario, if the UE supports the ANDSF, the UE may determinesteerable traffic ratios for measurement objects configured by thenetwork side (the RAN node) according to an ISRP indicated by the ANDSF,and indicate the steerable traffic ratios to the RAN node.

In this scenario, the UE may indicate the traffic steering ratios formeasurement objects via a measurement report fed back to the RAN node,and may indicate the traffic steering ratios for measurement objects byseparate list.

If the UE indicates the traffic steering ratios for measurement objectsvia a measurement report, the measurement report transmitted by the UEto the RAN node may include the measurement objects configured for theUE by the RAN node, measurement result obtained by the UE aftermeasuring the measurement objects and the steerable traffic ratios forthe measurement objects determined by the UE according to the ISRP.

If the UE indicates the traffic steering ratios for measurement objectsby separate list, the list may include multiple items, each item atleast including two contents, one is the measurement objects configuredfor the UE by the RAN node, and the other is the steerable trafficratios for the measurement objects determined by the UE according to theISRP. Furthermore, the UE may determine priorities of the multiple itemsbased on UE implementation, and arrange the items in a descending orderof the priorities, or arrange the items in a descending order of thesteerable traffic ratios.

When the RAN node receives the measurement report or the list indicatedby the UE, the RAN node may determine a traffic steering target and acorresponding traffic steering ratio within a range based on knowledgeof itself and implementation, and take the traffic steering ratio andthe traffic steering target as the updated traffic steering informationto transmit to the UE.

In this embodiment, if the UE receives the updated traffic steeringinformation fed back by the RAN node, the UE may adjust its trafficsteering ratio according to the updated traffic steering information,and steer corresponding traffic to the traffic steering target accordingto the traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, if the updated traffic steering information does notcontain the traffic steering target and contains only the trafficsteering ratio, corresponding to the former scenario of this embodiment,the traffic steering target is determined by the UE, and the UE maysteer corresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according tothe traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, if the updated traffic steering information containsthe traffic steering target, and furthermore, contains the trafficsteering ratio or the traffic steering ratio and the offloadable APNsand/or bearer IDs, corresponding to the latter scenario of thisembodiment, the traffic steering target is determined by the RAN nodeand indicated by the RAN node to the UE, and the UE may steercorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio or the traffic steering ratio and the offloadableAPNs and/or bearer IDs.

With the method of this embodiment, the UE indicates a suggested trafficsteering ratio to the RAN node, load balance between 3GPP RAN and WLANat RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

Embodiment 4

This embodiment provides a method for controlling traffic steering,which is applicable to an RAN node, such as a NodeB (a base station in3G), an eNodeB (a base station in LTE), and an RAC (radio networkcontroller), etc. This method is processing at a network sidecorresponding to the method of Embodiment 3, with contents identical tothose in Embodiment 3 being not going to be described herein anyfurther. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the method. Referring to FIG. 6, themethod includes:

step 601: traffic steering indication information transmitted by UE isreceived;

step 602: a traffic steering ratio is determined according to thetraffic steering indication information; and

step 603: the traffic steering ratio is transmitted to the UE, so thatthe UE steers corresponding traffic to a traffic steering targetaccording to the traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, corresponding to Embodiment 3, the traffic steeringindication information includes: a traffic steering target and asuggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steering ratio,or a suggested traffic steering ratio for measurement objects.

In this embodiment, if the traffic steering indication informationincludes a traffic steering target and a suggested traffic steeringratio, corresponding to the former scenario of Embodiment 3, the RANnode may update the RAN assistant information and the traffic steeringratio based on knowledge of itself, and feed back the updated trafficsteering information to the UE, the updated traffic steering informationcontaining at least the traffic steering ratio. Hence, the UE may steercorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, if the traffic steering indication informationincludes only a suggested traffic steering ratio, corresponding to thelatter scenario of Embodiment 3 where the UE does not support an ANDSF,the RAN node may further determine a traffic steering target in additionto determining the traffic steering ratio, and then feed back theupdated traffic steering information to the UE, the updated trafficsteering information containing at least the traffic steering target andthe traffic steering ratio. Hence, the UE may steer correspondingtraffic to the traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringratio.

In this embodiment, in determining the traffic steering ratio and thetraffic steering target, the RAN node may determine the traffic steeringratio and the traffic steering target based on knowledge of itself, suchas a load of the RAN node, a load of a neighboring node, informationcollected from the UE, a measurement report, a traffic steering ratiosuggested by the UE, and information collected from a AP when the AP isco-located with the base station, etc. Likewise, the traffic steeringratio may be directed to steering from the 3GPP RAN to the WLAN AP, ormay be directed to steering from the WLAN AP to the 3GPP RAN. Thetraffic steering target may be the WLAN or the 3GPP RAN.

In this embodiment, the information collected from the UE may includetraffic being performed by the UE, and the UE capability. The UEcapability may include whether supporting network selection and UEdetermined traffic steering assisted by the RAN, and whether supportingan enhanced ANDSF, etc. In this embodiment, in a case where the AP isco-located with the RAN node, the RAN node may collect informationrelated to the WLAN from the AP via an internal interface. Theinformation collected from the AP may include, for example, a load ofWLAN, etc. In this embodiment, if the RAN node configures the UE withmeasurement, the RAN node may further collect information related to theWLAN from a measurement report transmitted by the UE via measurement ofthe UE, so as to decide the traffic steering target.

In this embodiment, if the UE does not support the ANDSF, the RAN nodemay further determine offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs, and feed backthe updated traffic steering information to the UE, the updated trafficsteering information containing the offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs,in addition to the traffic steering target and the traffic steeringratio. Hence, the UE may steer corresponding traffic to the trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering ratio and theoffloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs. In this embodiment, similar toEmbodiment 1, the RAN node may acquire APNs and/or bearer informationfrom a core network, determine which APNs and/or which bearers may beoffloaded, and transmit IDs of the offloadable APNs and/or bearer,together with the determined traffic steering target and trafficsteering ratio, to the UE, via the above updated traffic steeringinformation.

In this embodiment, if the traffic steering indication informationincludes a suggested traffic steering ratio for measurement objects,corresponding to the latter scenario of Embodiment 3 where the UEsupports an ANDSF, the suggested traffic steering ratio for measurementobjects may be fed back to the RAN node along with the measurementreport, or may be fed back to the RAN node via a separate list. And theRAN node may determine a final traffic steering target and trafficsteering ratio according to the received information, and transmit themto the UE via the above updated traffic steering information.

With the method of this embodiment, the UE indicates a suggested trafficsteering ratio to the RAN node, load balance between 3GPP RAN and WLANat RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

Embodiment 5

This embodiment provides an apparatus for controlling traffic steering,which is applicable to an RAN node, such as a NodeB (a base station in3G), an eNodeB (a base station in LTE), and an RAC (radio networkcontroller), etc. As principles of the apparatus for solving problemsare similar to that of the method of Embodiment 1, the implementation ofthe method of Embodiment 1 may be referred to for implementation of theapparatus, with identical contents being not going to be describedherein any further.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of the apparatus. Referringto FIG. 7, the apparatus 700 for controlling traffic steering includes adetermining unit 701 and a transmitting unit 702.

The determining unit 701 is configured to determine traffic steeringindication information.

And the transmitting unit 702 is configured to transmit the trafficsteering indication information to UE, so that the UE steerscorresponding traffic to a traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering indication information.

In this embodiment, the traffic steering indication information may be atraffic steering ratio, or a traffic steering ratio and a shift range,or a traffic steering target and a traffic steering ratio, or a trafficsteering target, a traffic steering ratio and a shift range, or atraffic steering target, traffic steering and offloadable APNs and/orbearer IDs.

In this embodiment, if the UE supports an ANDSF and the RAN node is ableto obtain ANDSF information related to the UE, the traffic steeringindication information may be a traffic steering ratio, or a trafficsteering target and a traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, if the UE supports an ANDSF, but the RAN node isunable to obtain ANDSF information related to the UE, the trafficsteering indication information may be a traffic steering ratio and ashift range, or a traffic steering target, a traffic steering ratio anda shift range.

In this embodiment, if the UE does not support an ANDSF, the trafficsteering indication information may be a traffic steering target,traffic steering and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the RAN node indicates asuggested traffic steering ratio to the UE, load balance between 3GPPRAN and WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with anexisting mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

Embodiment 6

This embodiment provides an apparatus for controlling traffic steering,applicable to UE. As principles of the apparatus for solving problemsare similar to that of the method of Embodiment 2, the implementation ofthe method of Embodiment 2 may be referred to for implementation of theapparatus, with identical contents being not going to be describedherein any further.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of the apparatus. Referringto FIG. 8, the apparatus 800 for controlling traffic steering includes areceiving unit 801 and a processing unit 802.

The receiving unit 801 is configured to receive traffic steeringindication information transmitted by an RAN node.

And the processing unit 802 is configured to steer corresponding trafficto a traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringindication information.

In an implementation, the processing unit 802 includes:

a first determining module 8021 configured to determine a trafficsteering target when the traffic steering indication information is atraffic steering ratio; and

a first processing module 8022 configured to steer corresponding trafficto the traffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio.

In another implementation, the processing unit 802 includes:

a second determining module 8023 configured to determine a trafficsteering target when the traffic steering indication information is atraffic steering ratio and a shift range; and

a second processing module 8024 configured to steer correspondingtraffic to the traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringratio and the shift range.

In a further implementation, the processing unit 802 includes:

a third processing module 8025 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information is a traffic steering target and a trafficsteering ratio, steer corresponding traffic to the traffic steeringtarget according to the traffic steering ratio.

In still another implementation, the processing unit 802 includes:

a fourth processing module 8026 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information is a traffic steering target, a traffic steeringratio and a shift range, steer corresponding traffic to the trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering ratio and the shiftrange.

In yet another implementation, the processing unit 802 includes:

a fifth processing module 8027 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information is a traffic steering target, a traffic steeringratio and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs, steer correspondingtraffic to the traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringratio and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the RAN node indicates asuggested traffic steering ratio to the UE, load balance between 3GPPRAN and WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with anexisting mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

Embodiment 7

This embodiment provides a method for controlling traffic steering,applicable to UE. As principles of the apparatus for solving problemsare similar to that of the method of Embodiment 3, the implementation ofthe method of Embodiment 3 may be referred to for implementation of theapparatus, with identical contents being not going to be describedherein any further.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of the apparatus. Referringto FIG. 9, the apparatus 900 for controlling traffic steering includes adetermining unit 901 and a transmitting unit 902.

The determining unit 901 is configured to determine traffic steeringindication information.

And the transmitting unit 902 is configured to transmit the trafficsteering indication information to an RAN node, so that the RAN nodedecides a traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, the traffic steering indication information is atraffic steering target and a suggested traffic steering ratio, or asuggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steering ratiofor measurement objects. In this embodiment, when network selection andtraffic steering are determined by a terminal, the traffic steeringindication information contains a traffic steering target and asuggested traffic steering ratio; and when network selection and trafficsteering are determined by the RAN node, the traffic steering indicationinformation contains a suggested traffic steering ratio (when the UEdoes not support an ANDSF), or contains a suggested traffic steeringratio for measurement objects (when the UE supports an ANDSF), thesuggested traffic steering ratio may be indicated via a measurementreport, or via a separate list.

In an implementation, the apparatus 900 may further include:

a selecting unit 903 configured to perform a network selection processbefore the determining unit 901 determines the traffic steeringindication information, so as to determine a network to be accessed.

In an implementation, the apparatus 900 may further include:

an adjusting unit 904 configured to, when the UE receives updatedtraffic steering information fed back by the RAN node, adjust a trafficsteering ratio according to the updated traffic steering information;and

a processing unit 905 configured to steer corresponding traffic to thetraffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, the updated traffic steering information contains atraffic steering ratio, or contains a traffic steering target and atraffic steering ratio, or contains a traffic steering target, a trafficsteering ratio and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the UE indicates a suggestedtraffic steering ratio to the RAN node, load balance between 3GPP RANand WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with anexisting mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

Embodiment 8

This embodiment provides an apparatus for controlling traffic steering,which is applicable to an RAN node, such as a NodeB (a base station in3G), an eNodeB (a base station in LTE), and an RAC (radio networkcontroller), etc. As principles of the apparatus for solving problemsare similar to that of the method of Embodiment 4, the implementation ofthe method of Embodiment 4 may be referred to for implementation of theapparatus, with identical contents being not going to be describedherein any further.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of the apparatus.Referring to FIG. 10, the apparatus 1000 for controlling trafficsteering includes a receiving unit 1001, a first determining unit 1002and a transmitting unit 1003.

The receiving unit 1001 is configured to receive traffic steeringindication information transmitted by UE.

The first determining unit 1002 is configured to determine a trafficsteering ratio according to the traffic steering indication information.

And the transmitting unit 1003 is configured to transmit the trafficsteering ratio to the UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic toa traffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio.

In this embodiment, the traffic steering indication information includesa traffic steering target and a suggested traffic steering ratio, or asuggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steering ratiofor measurement objects. In this embodiment, when network selection andtraffic steering are determined by a terminal, the traffic steeringindication information contains a traffic steering target and asuggested traffic steering ratio; and when network selection and trafficsteering are determined by the RAN node, the traffic steering indicationinformation contains a suggested traffic steering ratio (when the UEdoes not support an ANDSF), or contains a suggested traffic steeringratio for measurement objects (when the UE supports an ANDSF), thesuggested traffic steering ratio may be indicated via a measurementreport, or via a separate list.

In an implementation, the apparatus 1000 may further include:

a second determining unit 1004 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information comprises only a suggested traffic steering ratio(when network selection and traffic steering are determined by a basestation, and the UE does not support an ANDSF), determine a trafficsteering target and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs. In thisembodiment, the transmitting unit 1003 transmits the traffic steeringtarget, the traffic steering ratio and the offloadable APNs and/orbearer IDs to the UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic to thetraffic steering target according to the traffic steering target, thetraffic steering ratio and the offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.

In an implementation, the apparatus 1000 may further include:

a third determining unit 1005 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information comprises a traffic steering target and asuggested traffic steering ratio (when network selection and trafficsteering are determined by the UE), update RAN assistant information andthe traffic steering ratio according to knowledge of the RAN node. Inthis embodiment, the transmitting unit 1003 transmits the trafficsteering ratio to the UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic tothe traffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio.

In an implementation, the apparatus 1000 may further include:

a fourth determining unit 1006 configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information comprises the suggested traffic steering ratiofor measurement objects (when network selection and traffic steering aredetermined by a base station, and the UE supports an ANDSF), select anddetermine a traffic steering target and a corresponding traffic steeringratio from the suggested traffic steering ratio for measurement objectsaccording to knowledge of the RAN node. In this embodiment, thetransmitting unit 1003 transmits the traffic steering target and thecorresponding traffic steering ratio to the UE, so that the UE steerscorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the UE indicates a suggestedtraffic steering ratio to the RAN node, load balance between 3GPP RANand WLAN at RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with an existingmechanism, user experiences and system performance are improved.

Embodiment 9

This embodiment provides UE, including the apparatus for controllingtraffic steering as described in Embodiment 6 or 7.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a structure of the UE of the embodiment ofthis disclosure. As shown in FIG. 11, the UE 1100 may include a centralprocessing unit 1101 and a memory 1102, the memory 1102 being coupled tothe central processing unit 1101. It should be noted that this figure isillustrative only, and other types of structures may also be used, so asto supplement or replace this structure and achieve a telecommunicationsfunction or other functions.

In an implementation, the functions of the apparatus for controllingtraffic steering may be integrated into the central processing unit1101, and the central processing unit 1101 carries out the functions ofthe apparatus for controlling traffic steering as described inEmbodiment 6 or 7; wherein, the functions of the apparatus forcontrolling traffic steering are incorporated herein, which will not bedescribed herein any further.

In another implementation, the apparatus for controlling trafficsteering and the central processing unit 1101 may be configuredseparately. For example, the apparatus for controlling traffic steeringmay be configured as a chip connected to the central processing unit1101, with its functions being realized under control of the centralprocessing unit 1101.

As shown in FIG. 11, the UE 1100 may further include a communicationsmodule 1103, an input unit 1104, an audio processing unit 1105, adisplay 1106 and a power supply 1107. It should be noted that the UE1100 does not necessarily include all the parts shown in FIG. 11, andfurthermore, the UE 1100 may include parts not shown in FIG. 11, and theprior art may be referred to.

As shown in FIG. 11, the central processing unit 1101 is sometimesreferred to as a controller or control, and may include a microprocessoror other processor devices and/or logic devices. The central processingunit 1101 receives input and controls operations of every component ofthe UE 1100.

In this embodiment, the memory 1102 may be, for example, one or more ofa buffer memory, a flash memory, a hard drive, a mobile medium, avolatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or other suitable devices, whichmay store the above information related to configuration, and mayfurther store a program executing related information. And the centralprocessing unit 1101 may execute the program stored in the memory 1102,so as to realize information storage or processing, etc. Functions ofother parts are similar to those of the prior art, which will not bedescribed herein any further. The parts of the UE 1100 may be realizedby specific hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof,without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the RAN node indicates asuggested traffic steering ratio to the UE, load balance between 3GPPRAN and WLAN at RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with anexisting mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

Embodiment 10

This embodiment provides an RAN node, such as a NodeB (a base station in3G), an eNodeB (a base station in LTE), and an RAC (radio networkcontroller), etc. In this embodiment, the RAN node includes theapparatus for controlling traffic steering as described in Embodiment 5or 8.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an implementation ofthe RAN node of the embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12,the RAN node 1200 may include a central processing unit (CPU) 1201 and amemory 1202, the memory 1202 being coupled to the central processingunit 1201. In this embodiment, the memory 1202 may store various data,and furthermore, it may store a program for information processing, andexecute the program under control of the central processing unit 1201,so as to received various information transmitted by UE, and transmitvarious information to the UE.

In an implementation, the functions of the apparatus for controllingtraffic steering may be integrated into the central processing unit1201, and the central processing unit 1201 carries out the functions ofthe apparatus for controlling traffic steering as described inEmbodiment 5 or 8; wherein, the functions of the apparatus forcontrolling traffic steering are incorporated herein, which will not bedescribed herein any further.

In another implementation, the apparatus for controlling trafficsteering and the central processing unit 1201 may be configuredseparately. For example, the apparatus for controlling traffic steeringmay be configured as a chip connected to the central processing unit1201, with its functions being realized under control of the centralprocessing unit 1201.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, the RAN node 1200 may include atransceiver 1203, and an antenna 1204, etc. In this embodiment,functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art,and will not be described herein any further. It should be noted thatthe RAN node 1200 does not necessarily include all the parts shown inFIG. 12, and furthermore, the RAN node 1200 may include parts not shownin FIG. 12, and the prior art may be referred to.

With the apparatus of this embodiment, the UE indicates a suggestedtraffic steering ratio to the RAN node, load balance between 3GPP RANand WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison with anexisting mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

Embodiment 11

This embodiment provides a communications system. FIG. 13 is a schematicdiagram of a topology of the communications system. As shown in FIG. 13,the communications system 1300 includes UE 1301 and an RAN node 1302.The RAN node 1302 may be a NodeB (a base station in 3G), an eNodeB (abase station in LTE), and an RAC (radio network controller), etc.

In this embodiment, the UE 1301 may be carried out by the UE inEmbodiment 9, the contents of which being incorporated herein, and beingnot going to be described herein any further.

In this embodiment, the RAN node 1302 may be carried out by the RAN nodein Embodiment 10, the contents of which being incorporated herein, andbeing not going to be described herein any further.

With the communications system of this embodiment, load balance between3GPP RAN and WLAN at an RAN level may be ensured, and in comparison withan existing mechanism, user experiences and system performance areimproved.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readableprogram code, which, when executed in an apparatus for controllingtraffic steering or UE, will cause a computer unit to carry out themethod for controlling traffic steering described in Embodiment 2 or 3in the apparatus for controlling traffic steering or the UE.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readablemedium, including a computer readable program code, which will cause acomputer unit to carry out the method for controlling traffic steeringdescribed in Embodiment 2 or 3 in an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering or UE.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readableprogram code, which, when executed in an apparatus for controllingtraffic steering or an RAN node, will cause a computer unit to carry outthe method for controlling traffic steering described in Embodiment 1 or4 in the apparatus for controlling traffic steering or the RAN node.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer readablemedium, including a computer readable program code, which will cause acomputer unit to carry out the method for controlling traffic steeringdescribed in Embodiment 1 or 4 in an apparatus for controlling trafficsteering or an RAN node.

The above apparatuses and methods of the present disclosure may beimplemented by hardware, or by hardware in combination with software.The present disclosure relates to such a computer-readable program thatwhen the program is executed by a logic device, the logic device isenabled to carry out the apparatus or components as described above, orto carry out the methods or steps as described above. The presentdisclosure also relates to a storage medium for storing the aboveprogram, such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, a CD, a DVD, and a flashmemory, etc.

The present disclosure is described above with reference to particularembodiments. However, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that such a description is illustrative only, and not intended tolimit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Various variantsand modifications may be made by those skilled in the art according tothe spirits and principle of the present disclosure, and such variantsand modifications fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for controlling traffic steering,applicable to an RAN node, the apparatus comprising: a determining unitconfigured to determine traffic steering indication information or atraffic steering ratio; and a transmitting unit configured to transmitthe traffic steering indication information or the traffic steeringratio to UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic to a trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering indication informationor the traffic steering ratio.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the traffic steering indication information is a trafficsteering ratio, or a traffic steering ratio and a shift range, or atraffic steering target and a traffic steering ratio, or a trafficsteering target, a traffic steering ratio and a shift range, or atraffic steering target, traffic steering and offloadable APNs and/orbearer IDs.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the UEsupports an ANDSF, and the RAN node can obtain ANDSF information relatedto the UE, the traffic steering indication information is a trafficsteering ratio, or a traffic steering target and a traffic steeringratio.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the UE supportsan ANDSF, and the RAN node cannot obtain ANDSF information related tothe UE, the traffic steering indication information is a trafficsteering ratio and a shift range, or a traffic steering target, atraffic steering ratio and a shift range.
 5. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein if the UE does not support an ANDSF, the trafficsteering indication information is a traffic steering target, trafficsteering and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.
 6. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprising: areceiving unit configured to receive traffic steering indicationinformation transmitted by UE; the determining unit determines thetraffic steering ratio according to the received traffic steeringindication information.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, whereinthe received traffic steering indication information comprises a trafficsteering target and a suggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggestedtraffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steering ratio formeasurement objects.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein theapparatus further comprises: a second determining unit configured to,when the received traffic steering indication information comprises onlya suggested traffic steering ratio, determine a traffic steering targetand offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs; and the transmitting unittransmits the traffic steering target, the traffic steering ratio andthe offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs to the UE, so that the UE steerscorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio and the offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs. 9.The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus furthercomprises: a third determining unit configured to, when the receivedtraffic steering indication information comprises a traffic steeringtarget and a suggested traffic steering ratio, update RAN assistantinformation and the traffic steering ratio according to knowledge of theRAN node; and the transmitting unit transmits the updated trafficsteering ratio to the UE, so that the UE steers corresponding traffic tothe traffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio. 10.The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus furthercomprises: a fourth determining unit configured to, when the receivedtraffic steering indication information comprises the suggested trafficsteering ratio for measurement objects, select and determine a trafficsteering ratio and a traffic steering target from a suggested trafficsteering ratio for measurement objects according to knowledge of the RANnode; and the transmitting unit transmits the traffic steering ratio andthe traffic steering target to the UE, so that the UE steerscorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio.
 11. An apparatus for controlling trafficsteering, applicable to UE, the apparatus comprising: a receiving unitconfigured to receive traffic steering indication information or updatedtraffic steering information transmitted by an RAN node; and aprocessing unit configured to steer corresponding traffic to a trafficsteering target according to the traffic steering indication informationor the updated traffic steering information.
 12. The apparatus accordingto claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises: a first determiningmodule configured to determine a traffic steering target when thetraffic steering indication information is a traffic steering ratio; anda first processing module configured to steer corresponding traffic tothe traffic steering target according to the traffic steering ratio. 13.The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing unitcomprises: a second determining module configured to determine a trafficsteering target when the traffic steering indication information is atraffic steering ratio and a shift range; and a second processing moduleconfigured to steer corresponding traffic to the traffic steering targetaccording to the traffic steering ratio and the shift range.
 14. Theapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises:a third processing module configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information is a traffic steering target and a trafficsteering ratio, steer corresponding traffic to the traffic steeringtarget according to the traffic steering ratio.
 15. The apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises: a fourthprocessing module configured to, when the traffic steering indicationinformation is a traffic steering target, a traffic steering ratio and ashift range, steer corresponding traffic to the traffic steering targetaccording to the traffic steering ratio and the shift range.
 16. Theapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit comprises:a fifth processing module configured to, when the traffic steeringindication information is a traffic steering target, a traffic steeringratio and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs, steer correspondingtraffic to the traffic steering target according to the traffic steeringratio and offloadable APNs and/or bearer IDs.
 17. The apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the apparatus further comprising: adetermining unit configured to determine traffic steering indicationinformation; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the trafficsteering indication information to an RAN node, so that the RAN nodedecides a traffic steering ratio and transmits the updated trafficsteering information to the UE.
 18. The apparatus according to claim 17,wherein the transmitted traffic steering indication information is atraffic steering target and a suggested traffic steering ratio, or asuggested traffic steering ratio, or a suggested traffic steering ratiofor measurement objects.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 17,wherein the apparatus further comprises: an adjusting unit configuredto, when the UE receives the updated traffic steering information fedback by the RAN node, adjust a traffic steering ratio according to theupdated traffic steering information; the processing unit steerscorresponding traffic to the traffic steering target according to thetraffic steering ratio.
 20. The apparatus according to claim 19, whereinthe updated traffic steering information comprises a traffic steeringratio, or a traffic steering target and a traffic steering ratio, or atraffic steering target, a traffic steering ratio and offloadable APNsand/or bearer IDs.